Geography Club Road Trip

This past weekend the SUNY Geneseo Geography Club went on a road trip to Centralia, Pennsylvania (see other post).  I was in the winning car.  Before we got there, however, we made many stops along the route to experience 'Roadside America'!  How could anyone pass by Clyde Peeling's Reptile Land or Granny's Motel?  More on that later.  The trip began at a bright and early 7:30AM, which for college students was a bit much.  I was super excited to be off with the chance to get to know my fellow geography road-trippers.  They did not seem too enthused in the beginning but then, I was pretty hyperactively awake.

After a few hours of driving we passed into Pennsylvania and stopped at a majestic scenic overlook with brochures about Pennsylvania, maps of Pennsylvania, and a photo opportunity that Teena, a worker from the center, helped us out with.

She was so sweet to take a group photo of us, who doesn't love awkward group photos (not that there's any other kind of group photo)?! So these are all the happy campers from right to left so I can confuse you all...Kaylie, Tobias, Claire, Cara, Me, Justin, Pat, and Kathy.  There really wasn't much to look at along the road up until this point and even for a time after.  The experience actually reminded me of driving through central Kansas but with more curves in the road but that trip was long before this blog.

 <<Your typical park view>>

Finally, from the back woods we make our way to Leonard Harrison State Park (lame version of Letchworth, NY) to view the Canyon or whatever, I'm still not quite certain why we stopped there; especially because we got lost for a long time on dirt roads where a pug chased our car and a retired unicorn was grazing by houses with legitimate outhouses.  And by retired unicorn I am referring to a horse with a gnarl of mane on its forehead that I most definitely approved of.  Once we made our way out of the land of the 'good ol' boys' we continued onto Jersey Shore!  The wrong state for fist-pumping but we ate Italian for lunch and I was satisfied.  Please enjoy a moment of personal fist-pumping.

Alright, moving on.  So after an original experience at Jersey Shore which did not involve Guidos nor an extensive beach boardwalk, we drove some more, a lot more.  The next stop, I believe, took us to Clyde Peeling's Reptile Land but for some reason no one brought their cameras in so sadly there are no photos.  Their company slogan is 'Have a Touching Experience' which I most certainly did.  I touched an alligator with my pointer finger and then a boa constrictor and a Galapagos turtle with the same finger!  The only reptile I did not enjoy seeing was the Monitor, mostly because it was doing a creeping/swimming motion on the window.  Also, the little soft-shell turtles reminded me of floaty empanadas and lastly the emus of whom I identified with the most because they were NOT reptiles but lived in Reptile Land regardless- might explain the mammalian stuffed animals in the gift shop.  Not quite worth the $12 but hey it was indeed a touching experience, I touched so much stuff! 

<<Woman with Crying Child statue>>

The last place we went before our camp out was Granny's Motel, whose website made their establishment look like it was the place to be!  Once we drove past a correctional facility and ended up in a back alley behind a highway we realized Granny is a dirty, rotten liar.  The statue of the pioneer woman and her crying child were chipped and peeling and the child's doll had been beheaded.  The motel itself was eerie and seemed the sort of place people go for illicit activities...of which our road trip was not.  We decided to forgo dinner for a time and set up camp before it got dark.

 

<<The place just kept getting creepier and creepier>>

The campsite we had reserved turned out to be, surprise, the kind you have to hike all your stuff into.  This isn't a problem until the 3rd bathroom trip and only one flashlight for 8 people.  After setting up our long house of a tent (one of the girls had it from her little sister's girl scout troop) and collecting firewood, most of us went to find food.  I convinced them to stop at this bar & grill right outside the park entrance.  It was a white house with 'Bar & Grill' spray painted on the side and a Coors Light neon sign in the window.  There were many doors, some without handles and we weren't sure how to get in.  Cue movie moment: I open a blank door a little harder than intended and it slams open against the wall.  The 8 or 9 adults sitting at the 'bar' all stop talking and smoking to look at me.  Silence as Justin, Claire and I make our way across the converted living room and sit down at the only table without chairs stacked on it.  After a few minutes an unkempt man comes over and begins to very threateningly ask for our ID's and intentions.  Claire did not meet the ID requirement and we were asked to leave.  More silence as we cross back across the room and the door closes.  We sprint towards the parking lot where the rest of our oh so loyal road-trippers were already waiting.

<<The car that delivered us into food searching awkwardness>>

We continued on in our search for dinner to a small town nearby which had no doubt seen better days at the height of coal mining.  Into another bar we go and the waitress says, "You want to eat HERE?!?" Inspiring confidence in their food.  Alright lady, fine where would you suggest we eat? Up the street? Of course, why didn't we think of that?  Frustrated and hungry we go to this family pizzeria and enjoy a quick dinner before heading back to the campsite.  The fire was pretty much a fail but I insisted on breaking out the s'mores anyways and ate them in pieces so they would essentially become s'mores in my stomach.  As for camping, worst night of sleep in a long time.  Poor Tobias was complaining about his spot and the cold air coming off the creek kept finding its way into my sleeping bag.  Waking up was not a problem.

 <<Like a Harry Potter tent, 8 people fit in there with room to spare for Tobias>>

On the road again! Made it to our final destination: Centralia, PA.  Commence photos of...nothing.  We walked along the old highway and had touching experiences with rifts pouring out smoke and that was pretty much it, yay Centralia!  For more on that see my other post.  On the return trip we attempted to see the world's largest baseball bat but the locals thought we were crazy and had no idea what we were talking about.  The little theme park in the area was also closed because it was a Sunday and so we just headed home, stopping only for Subway and some delightful fireworks.

Through this road trip I got to exercise my navigating skills (I unwisely chose to sit shotgun), met some highly interesting characters, and best of all got to know my fellow geographers so much better!

*Touchy Reptiles and Many Miles*

Kmegan